Forever I Do
by FyreBrande
Summary: Follow up to The Prodigal...some mush and memories


I don't own any of the characters from the games (Carth, Revan, Mission, Dustil, etc.), except the exact nature of Revan. They belong to LucasArts and Bioware. Aryah, Brynna, and various background characters are mine, though. Please R & R!!!

"What about this one?" Brynna Onasi held up the diaphanous veil, majority of its length hanging over her arm as she looked up at her sister-in-law-to-be. Aryah Tarmé twisted her long golden blonde hair back and examined the veil, as well as the delicate tiara to which it was attached.

"I like it, Bryn," she smiled. She ran one finger over the Manaan water jewels that decorated it. "What do you two think?"

Emi Onasi and Mission Vao exchanged a look. "I think it's perfect. But you're the bride, Ar." Emi ran one hand down the length of gossamer material, fingering a miniscule water jewel. "You'll be a vision in this."

"I agree. Dustil won't know what to do with himself," Mission chuckled.

"Looks like we have a winner. After only four hours in this store. " Aryah laughed. "Good choice, Bryn. I'm glad you and your mother could come. Mission and I have very different tastes."

"I would have deferred to the bride, I swear," Mission protested.

"And then moped until I felt guilty and changed my mind," Aryah pointed out, grinning. "We've been friends for three and a half years, Mish. I know you well enough to know _that_ for sure."

"Guilty as charged. Will you pay for the thing so we can go eat?" Mission grumbled, a grudging smile creeping across her face.

"Yes, ma'am," Aryah saluted and headed to the front of the store.

Emi watched her soon to be daughter-in-law pay, smiling and conversing with the clerk. "Dustil got really lucky, didn't he? Aryah's amazing."

"Yeah. It took him three months to work up the courage to ask her to go for a cup of caffa after work one day." Mission shook her head, smirking. "Emi, you should've seen him when he came home. Talk about cloud nine. The only two times I've seen a happier human being are two years later, when she said she'd marry him, and when Carth found out you were coming home."

"I believe you. Do you like her, Brynna?"

"I _love_ her, Mom. She's awesome. She treats me like a sister, not just some little kid. I mean, I know I'm only nine, but Aryah doesn't treat me like a stupid baby or anything." Brynna's brown eyes shone. "I can't wait till they're married."

"Only three weeks, Bryn. Be patient." Mission tugged on the waist length ponytail Brynna was wearing instead of her normal braid. They'd left the house in a bit of a hurry that morning, with Brynna's rush to show Emi the 'surprise' she and Carth had been working on for her. Emi loved the ship, even more after Carth showed her how easy it was to fly. After a quick flight, the Onasi girls and Mission had headed off to meet Aryah for a few--important--last minute things.

"Alright, all done," Aryah announced, upon rejoining the others, wisp of hair dancing in front of her eye. Emi laughed and tucked the renagade strands back for her. "Thanks, Em."

"No problem. Now, what are we doing for lunch?"

"How 'bout Talii's? They have good food, it's clean and not too expensive." Mission glanced at Emi.

"Sounds good to me, Mish. But then I've been gone a long time, so I'm probably not the best person to ask," Emi chuckled.

"True. What do you two think?"

"I don't care. I'm starving." Brynna grinned.

"I second that emotion. But Talii's does sound good." Aryah wrapped an arm around Brynna's shoulders as they headed down the street. Talii's was close enough to walk.

"Hey, Emi?" Aryah began after the four of them found a table at the small restaurant.

"What, Ar?"

"Well, I, um, wanted to get to know you a little better, and was, um, just curious, how did Carth propose to you?"

"Yeah, Mom, how did he?" Brynna's brown eyes widened with curiosity mirrored in Aryah's grey ones. "I haven't heard this story yet."

"You're kidding!" Emi exclaimed in mock surprise. "This is one of Mission's favorite stories to tell, and she never told you??"

"She never asked," Mission pointed out defensively.

"That's true. So tell us now," Brynna begged, scooting closer to Aryah.

"Okay. It wasn't long after we defeated Malak. Your father's never been one to waste time…"

---------------------------------

_Carth nervously fingered the ring in his pocket. Even as dead certain of her answer as he was, the butterflies were impossible to avoid. There was no reason in the universe he could think of that Emi would say anything other than 'Yes', accompanied by her gorgeous smile, but Carth couldn't entirely shake the habit of expecting the worst._ _First, of course, he had to _find_ Emi. As the most well known, and leader, of their crew, she was still constantly being ambushed and dragged off to answer a slew of questions about the Star Forge, and Malak, and what it was like to not remember her past. Carth couldn't count the number of times in the past week he'd wanted to drag some parasitic reporter off her and toss them off a balcony or something. He never had. She'd asked him not to. That settled the matter._

"_Carth?" She caught him off-guard. _

_He spun around. "There you are."_

"_Looking for me?" She grinned, already knowing the answer._

"_Yes." His hand tightened around the ring._

"_Well, here I am." Her grin widened._

"_Hiding from someone?" Carth sat down next to her on the bench._

_Emi slid into his lap. "Everyone." She kissed his cheek._

"_Even me?" he teased, just to watch her blush, as he wrapped his arms around her waist._

"'_Course not you!" She glared playfully at him. Carth kissed the back of her neck, making her shudder. "Why were you looking for me?" _

This is it. Force, why am I so nervous? It's not like she'll say no._ Carth swallowed hard. "I had a question for you."_

"_What?" She twisted in his arms to face him, her own arms going around his neck. Carth let go with one hand to reach back into his pocket and pulled out the slender silver band, decorated by one solitary water jewel from the depths of the Manaan ocean. Emi gasped as she connected the dots._

"_Will you marry me?" He felt the heat pouring into his face as he held out the ring._

_Emi's eyes widened, her face got red, and for a moment she was completely, wonderfully speechless. Then, "YES, yes, yes!!!!!!! A thousand times YES!!!!!!"she squealed, about the only time anyone ever got her to do so. She held out her hand and Carth, happier than he'd ever been, slid the ring on the third finger, intertwining his fingers with hers after he did._

"_I want a kiss," he whispered._

"_Happily," Emi whispered back, obliging him. The kiss was far deeper and far more passionate than any they had shared before that point. _

"_Carth? Emi? Where are you hid--" Mission barreled around the corner and skidded to a halt. "Wow." She grinned, noticing the new ring._

_Both Jedi and war hero flushed brilliant red. "What did you want, Mish?" Emi asked, trying to maintain her composure, not an easy thing when she was caught acting very un-Jedilike. _

"_Master Vrook's looking for you. You, um, might wanna go find him before he finds you." Mission raised one eyebrow. Emi blushed even brighter and stood hastily, mouthing an apology to Carth. Mission watched the Jedi vanish back around the corner she'd just rounded. "It's a gorgeous ring, by the way," the blue Twi'lek commented. "How long had you been carryin' that in your pocket?"_

"_You noticed that, huh?" Carth looked in the direction Emi had disappeared and ran a hand through his hair as Mission nodded. "Not long. Couple days."_

"_Well, like I said, it's gorgeous. How long are we gonna be waitin' for the actual wedding?"_

"_Knowing Emi, a week tops," Carth laughed._

_----------------------------------_

"Wow. Was it really just a week?" Brynna demanded.

Emi nodded. "Five days, actually. We only had maybe ten people, other then us there."

"Me, Big Z, Juhani, Jolee, Canderous, Dustil, Bastila--who came very reluctantly--, and a couple other people," Mission answered for her.

"Bastila was reluctant? There's a surprise." Brynna rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't want her as my master."

"She tried to remind me Jedi weren't supposed to have close or physical relationships, that falling in love was wrong for a Jedi, but I asked her what our Force bond was, and why that was any different than falling in love. She shut up." Emi grinned. "And now she's somewhere along the Outer Rim with a Padawan of her own."

---

The three weeks till Aryah and Dustil's wedding flew by. Emi could feel Carth grinning, without even looking at him, as they found their way through the meeting halls to the one being used for the wedding. "I'm going to go help Aryah get ready." Emi gave Carth a peck on the cheek and headed off for the bridal chamber, pale blue watersilk dress swishing around her knees. Carth wached her until she disappeared through a doorway, then went to find his son.

Dustil was pacing, nervous as Carth had ever seen him. "Don't forget to breathe, son," he chuckled, echoing the admonition Dustil had whispered in his ear ten years ago, when it was Carth waiting for Emi.

Dustil gave a nervous half smile and weak laugh. "I'll try to remember that, father. Were you this nervous?"

"Oh, yes. Both times." Carth smiled at the memory of the two women he'd married, and how different--yet similar--they were. Emi's dark skin, short dark hair and green eyes were a stark contrast to Morgana's pale skin, grey-blue eyes and long red hair. But both were horrible at fixing or flying ships, both were beautiful, and both were stubborn. And he loved both of them. Morgana, however, was now just a memory. One of the best he had, but no more than a memory. Emi was the one smiling at him over her pillow with mischief in her eyes now. Emi was the one he loved heart and soul. Emi was the one he would die to protect.

"Carth?" Emi laid a hand on his arm, startling him. "You okay?"

"Yeah, beautiful, I'm fine." He smiled, then kissed her for no reason.

"Mm. What was that for?" Emi murmered.

"Just 'cause I felt like it," he whispered in her ear.

"I see. Well, let's see if we can walk and kiss at the same time, flyboy. We need to head in there." Emi wrapped one bare arm around his waist, moving his arm to rest across her shoulders and the slender straps holding up her dress. Carth chuckled and kissed her again as they headed for their seats. "Dustil looks about ready to faint," Emi whispered, laugh tingeing her words when she saw Carth's son. She sat down.

"He'll be fine," Carth whispered back, sitting next to her and settling his arm around her shoulders. Emi leaned her head against his chest until the ceremony started and she had to act 'formal'.

When Aryah entered, every female in the room gasped, every male gaped, and Emi almost cried. Long blonde hair tied up in an intricate half-bun, half-ponytail that hung down to brush her shoulders under the veil Brynna had picked out. Her strapless, low-backed white dress barely brushed the floor, hiding feet Emi happened to know probably _weren't _inside shoes. Her grey eyes shone over the biggest grin Emi had seen since looking at her reflection before her own wedding. Aryah reached the front, the cleric began reading the vows, and the next few minutes flew by. With the repeating of the words "Forever I do", Aryah Tarmé became Aryah Onasi. Mrs. Dustil Onasi. Both she and her new husband were grinning like fools as they left the hall, Aryah turing to wink at Mission and Emi and lift the hem of her dress the slightest bit as she passed. Sure enough, she was barefoot.

At the reception afterwards, Emi finally managed to steal a few minutes with the newest Mrs. Onasi, pulling her over to a corner already occupied by Mission and Brynna. "Now it's my turn to be curious, _Mrs._ Onasi. How did Dustil propose to _you_?" Emi tilted one eyebrow upward as Aryah laughed.

"Well, alright," the bride laughed back. "I suppose I can indulge you three. Even though a certain Twi'lek has already heard this a half million times."

Mission laughed at the look Aryah was giving her. "I love a good story," she defended.

"Yes, I know," Aryah replied dryly. "Now, it was two years, to the day, since we first went out for caffa after work…"

---------------------------------------------------

"_Dustil, I'm not really hungry," Aryah admitted as they approached the restaurant. "Khailia shard her dinner with me on the way back from the warehouse." _

_Despite the hunger tying his stomach on knots, Dustil deferred to her. "Then we can do something else."_

"_Aren't you hungry?"_

_He shook his head a little. "I'll survive, Ar. Let's go find somewhere we can just sit, and _you_ can stare at the stars while _I_ stare at you." He was teasing, but the dark blush that colored her face was worth it._

"_Dust-tiiil," Aryah protested, biting her lip and fighting the blush._

"_Fine, then, we'll both stare at the stars. But if I get occasionally distracted, you'll have to forgive me. You look especially beautiful tonight."_

"_I'm still wearin' what I wore to work," Aryah pointed out, hand brushing against the dark blue halter-topped tunic that hung halfway to her knees over light grey leggings that matched her belt. Her hair was pulled back in the messy bun she did when she just wanted to get it out of her face, wisps escaping in places._

"_Maybe it's just me, then." Dustil shrugged. "C'mon." He squeezed her hand and pulled her toward the dark end of town and the benches placed for just the purpose they had in mind. They sat on the middle one of the three, Aryah slightly sideways so she could better use Dustil's shoulder as a pillow. After about fifteen minutes of sitting there, staring up at the sky, Dustil couldn't stand it any longer. He slid the small, dark grey box from his pocket and turned slightly._

"_Hey, Ary, darlin'?"_

"_Yeah?" She tilted her head back so she could look at him._

"_I have something for you." He tightened his grip on the box for a second._

"_What?" Aryah sat up, curiosity brightening her eyes._

"_You have to answer a question for me first, before I give it to you."_

"_Okay."_

_He brought the ring box into view, opened it, and asked the question. "Aryah, will you marry me?"_

_Aryah just stared at him for a second, eyes wide with overjoyed disbelief as the words sank in. Then she lunged forward and kissed him, deep and long. Just as she pulled back, Dustil stomach let out a complaining growl._

_She laughed. "Well! Dustil Onasi!"_

"_Ignore that," he chuckled. "I'm guessing I can assume your answer is yes."_

"_Absolutely, totally, 100% correct." Aryah was grinning, tears bright in her eyes. "And, y'know, maybe I am a _little_ hungry."_

_Dustil grinned back at her. "As you wish, princess." He kissed her back, and slid the starstone crusted band on her finger._

_-------------------------------------------_

"Wow." Emi chuckled, half smile cracking her face. "Very romantic."

"I didn't care," Aryah replied through a chuckle of her own. "He was being so sweet."

"Aryah!!! There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you. Shaea wants to talk to you." Aryah's best friend, Khailia charged over, grabbed the bride by the wrist--"'Scuse us, please"-- and dragged her off without a chance to protest. Aryah shot her mother-in-law an apolegetic glance over her shoulder as she followed her friend.

Being Dustil's family, Carth and Emi had to stay hours past when Brynna was usually in bed. Emi finished packing the leftover food and went looking for her daughter. She chuckled at the sight of Brynna asleep on one of the tables, one arm flung out, the other folded under her cheek. "Bryn," she whispered, tucking back rebellious wisps of hair that had escaped Brynna's braid. "Brynna, honey, it's time to go home."

"Mmm," Brynna grunted, refusing to wake up.

Emi sighed, smiled, and turned. "Carth, I think you're going to have to carry her. She's not waking up."

"Lovely." Carth walked around the table and scooped up the sleeping nine year old, settling her head against his shoulder, and headed out the door. "Hurry up, Em. She's heavier than I remember."

"Alright, I'm coming," Emi laughed. She grabbed the last container of leftovers and followed her husband out to the speeder. The trip home was made in silence; Carth and Emi were almost as tired as their daughter.

"Carth, can I ask you something?" Emi practically begged after they had reached the house and Brynna was in bed.

"Sure, beautiful." Carth sat on the edge of their bed to pull off his boots.

Emi undid the fasteners on her dress. "What were you thinking about earlier?" The fabric pooled around her ankles, and she scooped the dress up before it could wrinkle.

"When, earlier, exactly?" Carth pulled off the formal wear he'd reluctantly donned.

"When I found you after helping Aryah. When you kissed me 'just 'cause'." Emi wrapped her arms around his neck from behind.

"Oh. I was thinking about you and Morgana. More about you," he promised, reaching up and squeezing her arm. "About when we got married."

"So were you lost in pleasant memories?"

"Very pleasant. I don't think I have any better. Except when you came back, maybe."

"So you don't regret the 'forever' part of 'forever I do'?" Worry creased a new wrinkle across her forehead.

"Not for one nanosecond." Carth kissed her, then yawned. "Satisfied, gorgeous? Can I go to sleep now?"

"Oh, you!" Emi pulled him backwards with her.

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=D Yay! One more down! Once I again I have defeated the writer's block demon!! =D


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